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The ETO Rangers' Adventures of ThunderCats (Rankin/Bass)
ThunderCats is an American animated television series that was produced by Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment and Leisure Concepts debuting in 1985, based on the characters created by Tobin "Ted" Wolf. The series, for which Leonard Starr was the head writer, follows the adventures of a group of catlike humanoid aliens. The animation for the episodes was provided by the Japanese studios: Topcraft and Pacific Animation Corporation (later acquired in 1989 to form Walt Disney Animation Japan). Season 1 of the show aired in 1985 (65 episodes), followed by a TV movie entitled ThunderCats – HO! in 1986. Seasons 2, 3, and 4 followed a new format of twenty episodes each, starting with a five-part story. The series was originally distributed by Rankin-Bass Productions' then-parent company Telepictures Corporation, which would later merge with Lorimar Productions in 1986. In 1989, Lorimar-Telepictures was purchased by and folded into Warner Bros., whose television syndication arm would eventually assume distribution of the show; Warner Bros. have had the rights to the series (and all Lorimar-Telepictures programming) from that point on. Leisure Concepts which helped co-develop the show acted as a licensing agent for the series. ThunderCats is the pilot episode of Garfiled1990's ''The ETO Rangers and Thundercats' Adventures'' series, under the title The ETO Rangers' Adventures of ThunderCats. It features the characters from ETO Rangers (full name in Japan: Twelve Warrior Explosive ETO Rangers) as the main heroes of this anime/non-anime crossover production. Although produced by Shaft for NHK ''in Japan, ''ETO Rangers was dubbed in English by Funimation Productions and Saban Entertainment. Summary Plot ThunderCats follows the adventures of the eponymous team of heroes, catlike humanoid aliens on a planet called Third Earth. The series plot begins with the dying planet Thundera meeting its end, forcing the ThunderCats (a sort of Thunderean nobility) to flee their homeworld. The fleet is attacked by the Thundereans's enemies, the Mutants of Plun-Darr, who destroy most of the starships in the "ThunderFleet," but spare the flagship hoping to capture the legendary mystic Sword of Omens they believe is on board. The sword holds the Eye of Thundera, the source of the ThunderCats's power, which is embedded in the hilt. Though the Mutants damage the flagship, the power of the Eye drives them back. The damage to the ship means the journey to their original destination is not possible, instead having to journey to "Third Earth;" which will take much longer than they had anticipated. The eldest of the ThunderCats, Jaga, volunteers to pilot the ship while the others sleep in capsules; however, he dies of old age in the process, but not before ensuring they will reach their destination safely. The flagship contains the young Lord of the ThunderCats, Lion-O, as well as the ThunderCats Cheetara, Panthro, Tygra, WilyKit and WilyKat, and Snarf. When the ThunderCats awake from their suspended animation on Third Earth after ten "galacto-years," Lion-O discovers that his suspension capsule has slowed, rather than stopped, his aging, and he has now become essentially a child in the body of an adult. (He has thus grown in size without actually growing up, and has missed out on the first-hand life experiences which confer maturity.) Together, the ThunderCats and the friendly natives of Third Earth construct the "Cat's Lair," their new home and headquarters, but before long, the Mutants have tracked them down to Third Earth. The intrusion of these two alien races upon the world does not go unnoticed, however, as a demonic, mummified sorcerer calling himself Mumm-Ra recruits the Mutants to aid him in his campaign to acquire the Eye of Thundera and destroy the ThunderCats so that his evil may continue to hold sway over Third Earth. Seasons Season 1 The basic plot above holds strong for the first season of the show, and served as the basis for a vast array of stories that freely mixed elements of science fiction and fantasy into a traditional good-versus-evil tale that steadily introduced more and more recurring allies and villains into the world of the ThunderCats. Futuristic technology is just as central to the series as magic and myth, but even in the midst of all this action, the series never underemphasizes the importance of moral values in solving problems. Each episode would normally include a short dénouement, featuring the characters recuperating after the events of the story and taking the time to single out a personal value or wholesome approach that helped save the day, or could have done so if they had seen it. The first half of Season 1 featured a gentle continuity, with early episodes following on from one another and establishing recurring concepts, although this became less common as the season transitioned into its second half, which comprised mostly incidental one-shot adventures. Tying the second half of season one together was the overarching five-part adventure written by series head writer Leonard Starr, "Lion-O's Annointment," in which an unarmed Lion-O faced off against first each of the other ThunderCats, and then Mumm-Ra, so he could truly earn his title as Lord of the ThunderCats. The five parts were: # "Day One: The Trial Of Strength" – Lion-O had to out-do Panthro in a strength contest. # "Day Two: The Trial Of Speed" – Lion-O had to beat Cheetara in a race. # "Day Three: The Trial Of Cunning" – Lion-O had to outwit both of the "ThunderKittens," WilyKat and WilyKit, in an underground location. # "Day Four: The Trial Of Mind-Power" – Lion-O was pitted against Tygra in a mind-based challenge. # "Last Day: The Trial Of Evil" – Lion-O had to defeat Mumm-Ra. In his "Trial Of Evil," Lion-O discovered that Mumm-Ra was highly dependent on the sarcophagus inside which he had been mummified. On all four days except the last, the Mutants tried to interfere with Lion-O's trials so that they could force the ThunderCats to remain leaderless. The other ThunderCats were each then forced to involve themselves in the conflict specifically to foil the Mutants's interferences—all while trying to avoid assisting Lion-O in his anointment trials. Although intended to be viewed consecutively (as the adventures depicted occurred one day after the other), the five parts of the mini-series were erroneously aired (and released on DVD) with multiple other episodes between each installment. ThunderCats – Ho! The 1986 TV movie "ThunderCats - Ho!" featured the first major shake-up to the status quo of the series, introducing three new Thundereans (whom Lion-O later anointed as ThunderCats) who had also survived the destruction of Thundera. A massive cast of returning heroes and villains were incorporated into the story and concluded with the apparent destruction of Mumm-Ra. Leonard Starr wrote the story for this TV movie. Season 2 When the series returned in 1986, however, it was revealed that the evil wizard Mumm-Ra had survived. "Mumm-Ra Lives!" set the pattern for the following three seasons, which each began with a five-part mini-series, again written by Leonard Starr, that established the new characters and concepts that would go on to influence the rest of the season. In the case of "Mumm-Ra Lives!", these concepts included the debut of the villainous Lunataks, who became a third faction that existed for the rest of the series, and the new team of ThunderCats from ThunderCats - Ho! being given their own headquarters, vehicles and so forth. Season 3 The 1988 season began with the Peter Lawrence-scripted "ThunderCubs," which, though named for its plot about the ThunderCats being transformed into children, was principally about Mumm-Ra reconstructing Thundera in order to retrieve both the weapon that had originally destroyed it (the Sword of Plun-Darr) and the legendary Treasure of Thundera. In the course of the adventure, the treasure—containing the Book of Omens, a tome holding all the secrets of the ThunderCats, and many other mystical items—was scattered across the New Thundera, ushering in a new concept for the series: a season with an actual story arc. Continuity between episodes became tighter as the ThunderCats, Mutants, Lunataks and Mumm-Ra alternated their adventures between Third Earth and New Thundera, searching for the treasure and exploiting its powers. The season also featured the running theme of the Ancient Spirits of Evil having to take a more active hand in pushing Mumm-Ra into action, culminating in another unique feature of the season—an actual finale episode, "The Last Day," in which the Ancient Spirits of Evil give Mumm-Ra one last chance to destroy the ThunderCats by sunset. Besides demonstrating their threat by making Ma-Mutt disappear, the Ancient Spirits of Evil stated that Mumm-Ra's failure will also have the Mutants and the Lunataks removed from Third Earth as well. Ultimately, Mumm-Ra failed and the Ancient Spirits of Evil exiled him to the farthest corner of the Universe. Season 4 In the opening miniseries, Peter Lawrence's "Return to Thundera!", the ThunderCats returned to New Thundera to rebuild their society, but before departing, they destroyed Mumm-Ra's pyramid. This enraged the Ancient Spirits of Evil to the point that they brought Mumm-Ra back and installed him within a new pyramid on New Thundera. The season proved to be quite divorced from what had gone before, with adventures consigned almost entirely to New Thundera, and most villainous opposition coming from either Mumm-Ra or assorted new villains. The Mutants, Lunataks, and Captain Cracker all returned for one episode each, however. In the series finale, several conclusions are reached: * Mumm-Ra stands up to and successfully asserts himself over the Ancient Spirits of Evil. * The mystery of the Book of Omens was at last solved. * The tumultuous and terrifying environment of Thundera was at last rendered peaceful and pristine. ETO Rangers * Bakumaru (Rat): The Leader. Originally had fear of cats but eventually overcame it with the help of Gaō. Has a Jedi-Like Saber which he uses to kill the enemy (received on Momotaro's world in Episode 2) and the Genmakyou mirror to summon a teammate which is not involved in a mission or to reveal a hidden monster. In one mission where he was not included, He gave his mirror to Souffle in case they need to summon him. Has hidden affections for Cream. * Hols (Ox): Can turn into a fierce bull at will when he sees anything red or of a red hue. This is derived from the red capes that matadors use at bullfights. * Gao (Tiger): Has a special pair of shades which he uses to turn himself into a giant tiger by putting them on and shouting "Tora Tora Hai!" which means tiger tiger equip but that sounded awkward so creative licensing was exercised to make it "Tiger Tiger Transformation". He also helped Bakumaru overcome his fear of cats. * Cream '''(Rabbit): Has a magical carrot-shaped wand that can change hers or her teammate's costumes. One noticeable costume is a bunny-girl uniform. Has a crush on Bakumaru. Being a rabbit, she has good hearing, and can even hear if her teammates are in trouble from far away. * '''Drago (Dragon): Has a white cloud for personal transportation which he can expand for others to travel on as well and can turn into a giant dragon by counting to three in Mandarin and activating his special crystal ball somewhat like a ninja smoke bomb. He is also very intelligent, can command weather in normal or giant dragon form and while a giant dragon he can use his wings to conjure hurricanes and has various breath powers like fire and a purple breath similar to Spyro's convexity breath. He is one of the most powerful among the twelve. * Nyorori (Snake): Has telekinetic capabilities that basically function for the existence of invisible arms, 2 white gloves that serve as his hands and that he can levitate a bit above the ground rather than slither. He is persistent, wise and quite cunning. * Pakaracchi (Horse): Enthusiastic most of the time and often makes comments on youth should or should not be. Armed with a Horse Shoe Boomerang. * Souffle (Sheep): Has a magical compact that can automatically detect any metallic materials in the area. In one mission where Bakumaru was not included, Bakumaru gave his mirror to her in case they need him. In another mission (that is based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid), she devoted the story and decided not to let the little mermaid (as a human) being dissolved into a sea foam and protect her from harm in anyway, although is hard for her to accept the sad ending of the story. Despite a love interest she developed in the third episode, it can be estimated that she has a secret love crush on Monk. * Monk (Monkey): Fun loving and silly. He's good at imitating voices, climbing around and scratching his enemies. He and Pochiro seldom get along and he lacks any swimming abilities. He owns the Monkey See Monkey Do Voice Recorder. * Tart (Rooster): Has a chicklet timer that in one episode turned her from her chicken form to a more human form. A parallel to the "beautiful swan transformation" story. She has since then stayed that way due to the fact she thought some of the boys were making fun of her form. However certain things like Bakumaru flashing his mirror and Pochiro kicking a soccer ball into her face, have been to temporarily reverted her humanoid face back into her beaked face. * Pochiro '''(Dog): Values honor and is a bit hot-headed at times, this is one thing that causes fights between him and Monk. Armed with a bone-shaped stick which can stretch. * '''Urii (Pig): His power bursts whenever he cries. Mentors and Allies * Princess Aura '''(human): the protective ruler of Mugen. She serves the Great God Goal, and speaks for him. She is the mentor of the Eto Rangers. She can send out powerful beams of energy or diffuse light. Nyanma seems to have known her, and has something personally against her. Aura shows sadness toward her, even sympathy, which only infuriates Nyanma. * '''Kirinda (Ki-Rin mecha) * Lydia (reporter, human) * Chocolat: The Spirit of Cats whose alter ego is the Jarei Queen, Nyanma, She's also an old friend of Gaō (cat) * Great God Goal (Oversoul of Mugen) Evil-Spirited Monsters (Jarei Monsters) * Nyanma '''(cat): The dark cat mistress who's the queen of Jarei monsters, she also used to be Chocolat, the Spirit of Cats, who was excluded from the choice of 12 protectors by being disqualified from the race, so she became Nyanma and seeks revenge by using Jarei monsters to destroy the Novel Worlds, She seems to know Aura, and wants vengeance for a past offense. * '''Gosen (White cat): * Gen'en (Black cat) * Roran (Blue cat) * Juken (Red cat) * Jarei God Bagi (Evil God Bagi cat) Main Characters ThunderCats * Jaga * Lion-O * Tygra Panthro * Cheetara * WilyKit and WilyKat Mentors and Allies * Jaga Mutants of Plun-Darr * Mumm-Ra Episodes Season 1: (1985–1986) * Episode 1 - Exodus (Pilot: Part One) *# Japanese Title - *# Air Dates - January 23, 1985 (original), September 9, 1985 (repeat) * Episode 2 - The Unholy Alliance (Pilot: Part Two) *# Japanese Title - *# Air Dates - January 23, 1985 (original), September 16, 1985 (repeat) * Episode 3 - Berbils *# Japanese Title - *# Air Date - September 23, 1985 * Episode 4 - The Slaves of Castle Plun-Darr *# Japanese Title - *# Air Date - September 30, 1985 * Episode 5 - Pumm-Ra *# Japanese Title - *# Air Date - October 7, 1985 Season 2: (1986–1987) * Season 3: (1987–1988) * Season 4: (1988–1989) * Cast Japanese Cast * Chika Sakamoto - Bakumaru English Cast * Stephanie Nadolny - Bakumaru Credits Twelve Warrior Explosive ETO Rangers * Produced by Shaft, Inc. (Japan) * English Version by Funimation Entertainment, Ltd. and Saban Entertainment, Inc. ThunderCats * Produced by Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment, Inc. Production Notes Trivia * Facts * Ownership Rights * Transcripts Category:Garfiled1990 Category:Pilots Category:Pilots for TV Shows Category:ETO Rangers Category:ThunderCats